St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-06

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hot be the city
of wheat, but Rome in carnival time;
What on earth was the meaning OF all
those grOtesque figures: whence came
those Sugar-lOaf hats but from MeXlcO-
and was not the harlequin, III all MS
glory. tripping the light fantastic on
the sidewalk. while stately matrOnS
frOWned. and WinSOme laSSieS Smlrked?
These opening remarks may cause
laugh among MmneapolitanS. yet neVer-
theleSs a stranger from the East IN
formed the writer that the first time he
rode up the avenue he was thor
oughlY mystified by the odd appear
ance of that particular corner. and
from time immemOrial the men who
follow the business of cleaning chin
neyS have adopted an odd manner OF
dress and headgear, both in England,
where the custom began,a and all through
America. In other places the peculiar
ity seems to step at plug hats OF abon-
Unable style and shape.and in outlandlsh
signs. and notices stuck OF the vehicles
used in the business. In Minneapolis.
however, the aim of these men seems
to be
TO Guido ONE ANOTHER
in the IudicrouSneSS of their apparel,
the 0ddity of their hats. and the power
OF displaying their lungs in advertising
their calling. in various harmonious eat
calls to the great delight of the urchinS
and newSbOyS. who cape upon them
with open mouths in wonder. The
corner of NicOIlet avenue and Fourth
street is the happy hunting ground OF
the SweeperS in this city, and they
are the men who have so often
surprised strangers when about
twenty of them are summing themselves,
awaiting 4 call 10 60 and attend job.
More than quarter OF century ago
tie subject OF cleaning chimneyS caused
more agitation and diScOrd i'll the public
mind of England than the Irish queS
ton does AT present, and it all arose
from the fact that the custom in that de-
generate time was to apprentice home
less. mOthcTleSS waits to chimney
sweeps. and these inhuman ''padrOnCs"
would send the children up the inside
of chimneyS. and in numerous eases the
unfOrtunatcS got stuck half way up, and
died d miserable death from suffOcation.
and even starvation. before they could
be released. The ballads of that day
are written in most dOlOrOuS cOupietS,
lamenting the death of little Timothy
Tubbs. d victim Of the chimney scandal.
and MANY more little martyrs vino liter
ally
WENT Up N SMOKE.
from burning pyreS. Riots ensued in
numerous localities over this this burn
ing question, orators raved about it,
poets wrote narrowing verses upon it.
and finally the houses of the English
legislature made il Il law that no JuVe-
nile be allowed to clean a chimney by
going through it or up it. Since then
the method in vogue at present came
into use over there. but is not practical
In this country, where open fireplaceS
are not SO commonly in use. \ circular
brush is attached to stout stick. which
is pushed up as far as it will reach. and
another section Of stick is screwed on
to this, and so on, and 50 on, till the
brush protudeS from the top on the roof
The fireplace is carefully covered all
around and the job can be done without
creating the least dirt.in the most costly
chamber. Here in Minneapolis
the work involves 4 good deal
of danger and always certain
risk. as the men Ia commence operating
have to climb tall chimneys and take
the chance of breaking their neckS
sliding along dizzy roofs OF slippery
slate. Cleaning chimney involves two
men at work, one watching the bottom,
inside the hUuee, while the other
tackles the roof. When the top of the
chimney is gained the man takes his
cleaner, which consists of a circular az
Tangement of steel rods suspended from
a rope and attached TO heavy weight
TO facilitate its downward progress.
The man below yells
LET HER GO"
and the man above sings out. ''She'S q
coming" This is what the sweeperS
call soft Snap-a thing you don't meet
..1-1,.,- do,- l1,4 in, banIlinu baoHr,- iol,S
humble as this kind of occupation may
be, it requires nerve. GOODNESS and a
nicely in calculating distances that ele-
Yates the work i'll Il certain sense. As
the HanlOn brothers in body are cele-
brated as athletes. so are the
Eastman brothers. of this city, in a
body,well known. all of them,as eXl ert
daring climbers, ard many are the hair
breadth escapes they have passed
through in following their perilouS
work Beside cleaning chimneys. they
attend to all the high smoke stacks in the
city, and if ever a man needs clear
cool head, it is when perched on the two
Or three feet of space at the top of the
Anchor mill stack, or the one at the
Pacific saw mill. both of them over 100
feet high. Said Charley Eastman to the
writer: lone of the narrOwest escapes
| ever had was a short while ago at
saltwater MS partner anu NlySelI went
out to attend to a stack. about ninety
feet high. | got on the seat and was
hosting away. when about fifty feet up
fearful hurricane of wind set in, and
/ was literally tossed around about ten
feet out and flung back against the side
of tie shaft in a most painful manner
l worked down as fast as | could come.
but twas not an experience TO fall in
love with by any means. The following
day we proceeded 10 finish the work.
and | was once again
HANGING IN MID AIR,
as You might put il, while my brother
handled the rope below. What then
was his horror to see that the coil he
was paying out had all the appearance
of being burnt in three or four places,
and he had to reflect that /, his brother,
was slung between life and death on
this very frail cord indeed. Pr0viden-